


I'll Be There For You

by MaggicSorceress



Series: Maggic's Undertale Human AU [16]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cutting, Dream is a good bro, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmare is depressed, Self-Harm, it breaks Dream's heart, this entire fic is a big oof
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22619845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaggicSorceress/pseuds/MaggicSorceress
Summary: Dream missed his mom.He didn't know if this was something he'd be able to handle on his own.But he couldn't afford to let it be,Not when Nightmare was involved.
Relationships: Dream & Nightmare
Series: Maggic's Undertale Human AU [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623928
Comments: 10
Kudos: 74





	I'll Be There For You

**Author's Note:**

> 'I think it's beautiful  
> how the moon  
> glows using  
> the sun's light  
> And the sun never  
> asks for anything in return'  
> -AKR

**_I’m 23 and my folks are getting old_ **

Dream missed his mom. It was no surprise; both him and Nightmare did. Even if she was a little odd. She gave great advice, and Dream missed coming home to her baking something. He missed her shortbread cookies and how, at Christmas, she’d always insist on pretending Santa had come in the morning, no matter how old he and Nightmare got. He missed her energy and how infectious it was; she was always smiling, always so happy to be alive.

God, he wished she was still here.

Maybe she would know what to do.

**_I know they don’t have forever and I’m scared to be alone_ **

Dream hated feeling helpless, especially in situations where he couldn’t afford to be. He hated watching, wanting to do something to help, and having to walk away because he didn’t know _how_ to.

This wasn’t something he could walk away from. If he did, he’d _never_ forgive himself.

He wasn’t sure when it had all started. It could have been last year, or back in elementary school for all Dream knew.

If he had only paid more attention…

**_So, I’m thankful for my brother even though sometimes we fight_ **

When Nightmare had begun telling him that he was going to walk home from school _alone_ , Dream hadn’t thought anything of it. He knew Nightmare was taking advanced classes, so he’d figured that his twin was staying later to get some help.

He didn’t think…he never even thought…

He was a terrible brother.

That was all he could think as he watched Nightmare sob into the sheets of his bed, angry lines of red speckled with purple bruising running down his arms.

**_When high school wasn’t easy, he’s the reason I survived_ **

Dream felt his heart shatter and reform ten times over at the sight. He wanted to cry and hold his brother to his chest, sooth him and tell him everything was going to be alright, and he wanted to scream and yell at him for ever _thinking_ of hurting himself, but he just stood, rooted in place. A bystander to his brother’s agony.

It wasn’t sadness or love that made him move, but anger. At _himself_.

Silently, he left the room to grab the first-aid kit from the bathroom.

**_I know he’d never leave me, and I’d hate to see him cry_ **

When he returned, he sat at Nightmare’s side and said nothing. Gently, _gently_ , he grabbed one of his twin’s arms and started mending it. Nightmare sobbed at the softness of his touch, letting out sharp cries at the stinging of the disinfectant, but he never pulled away. Dream clenched his jaw and pressed on, refusing to cry until he _knew_ that Nightmare wasn’t going to anymore.

“I…I’m so-sorr-rry…” Nightmare hiccuped, and Dream’s heart shattered again.

Anything would have been better than that. He w _anted_ Nightmare to shout at him, to get angry and hit him, tell him how _stupid_ he was for not being there for him when he needed it. He couldn’t handle the rawness of his brother’s voice, the way it broke and cracked, sounding so _helpless_ and _afraid._ Something Nightmare, in all of Dream's life, had never sounded.

**_So, I wrote this verse to tell him that I’m always by his side_ **

“Why?” Was all Dream could ask, throat painfully tight as he willed away tears that were beginning to flood his eyes. Nightmare let out a pathetic sounding sob, curling in on himself as he gripped the covers tightly.

“I just…I can’t…I-“ Nightmare stumbled, gasping for air. “I can’t _take this anymore_.”

Dream collapsed onto the bed next to his brother, intertwining their hands and pulling them to his chest.

**_I wrote this verse to tell him that I’m always by his side_ **

“I’m so…so sick of this, Dream.” Nightmare said, tears rolling in fat drops down his angry red cheeks. “I can’t handle this anymore I…it _hurts_ I…I just want it all to _stop_ -“

“Stop.” Dream whispered. He pulled Nightmare the barest bit closer, raising a hand to wipe the tears from one of his brother’s cheeks.

“I don’t _want_ this…” Nightmare mumbled. “I don’t know what I did, I don’t know _why_ they hate me so much…” His brother was babbling now, voice painfully tight, as if he was holding back more sobs. Dream clenched their joined hands tighter together.

**_I wrote this verse to tell him that_ **

“ _Why does everyone hate me so much_?” Nightmare said, barely a whisper as he buried half of his face back into the sheets.

“I don’t hate you.” Dream said as he continued to smooth away tears. “I love you very much, actually.”

**_The world’s not perfect, but it’s not that bad_ **

As Nightmare dissolved back into small gasping sobs, Dream felt a spike of anger fester in his gut. _Someone_ had pushed his brother to this point. _Someone_ had hurt his brother so deeply that Nightmare had w _anted_ to hurt himself, if only to gain back some sense of control over all of the pain he was in. _Someone_ had broken him so thoroughly that Nightmare had…he wanted to…

**_If we got each other and that’s all we have_ **

_God have mercy on those boys when Monday rolled around_.

**_I will be your brother and I’ll hold your hand_ **

“Nightmare…” Dream murmured. “If you really hate yourself that much…that you want to hurt yourself like this…then you’re going to have to hate me too. Cause we’re twins, and that’s how it works.”

Nightmare choked out a laugh that bordered on a sob. “I…I don’t think t-that’s how it wo-works, Dream…”

**_You should know I’ll be there for you_ **

“Well, I say that’s how it works.” Dream said. “So, that’s how it is.” He moved closer, wrapping an arm around his brother’s shoulders and pulling him to his chest. Nightmare clutched the front of his shirt, sobs slowly fading into hiccups and shaky breaths. Dream held him tightly, like if he were to loosen his grip even slightly Nightmare would vanish, and he would be left _alone_. Quietly, Dream let his own tears run down his cheeks.

**_And the world’s not perfect, when the world’s not kind_ **

“…Night?” Dream said.

“Y-Yeah?” Nightmare said, muffled in the fabric of Dream’s shirt.

“Can you…can you promise me something?”

**_If we have each other then we’ll both be fine_ **

“…Depends…” Nightmare said with a wet laugh.

Dream took a breath. “If you…ever want to do that to yourself again, I want you to…imagine it’s my arms that you’re cutting up.” Nightmare tensed in his grasp, quaking breaths stilling for a moment.

“Why…?” Nightmare finally asked.

**_I will be your brother and I’ll hold your hand_ **

“Because…because, in all honesty brother…” Dream said, grounding himself by smoothing his twin’s dark hair, “you tearing my arms to bloody shreds would hurt me less than seeing you like this.” Nightmare’s grip on his shirt tightened. “We look the same, so it shouldn’t be the hardest to imagine. Can you promise me that?”

**_You should know I’ll be there for you_ **

Dream knew he was playing into the fact that his brother would never want to hurt him, but he felt that was the only way he was going to get through to him. So slight that Dream hardly noticed, Nightmare nodded against his chest.

“I promise…”

Dream smiled through a fresh new wave of tears.

**_You should know I’ll be there for you_ **

“Good.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah this is a lot.  
> Speaking of a lot, I've been writing a lot for these two. I think I just need to get stuff out of my system.  
> By the way, the song is 'If We Have Each Other' by Alec Benjamin, but I altered it a little to fit.  
> Anyway, hope you guys liked it! Comments and kudos are always lovely to see! <3  
> -Maggic


End file.
